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Obstructive sleep apnoea and atrial fibrillation: a key omission in guidelines Dear Sirs, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for atrial fibrillation (AF) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) lack recommendations for the subset of patients with both conditions. There is growing evidence of a bidirectional association between AF and OSA, which we believe is not highlighted in current NICE guidelines. The ORBIT-AF (Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation) cohort study highlighted that about one in five patients with AF also had OSA.1 For this group of patients, screening, diagnosis and treatment are crucial....

A personal tribute I was deeply saddened by the news that Dr Derek Gibson had passed away. I have lost a teacher, a friend, an adviser and a father figure, for whom I had the highest respect....

Dear Sirs, Implantation of cardiac devices is increasing at a tremendous rate. Rate of implantation of permanent pacemakers (PPM) alone is rising at a rate of 4.7% per decade.1 Implantation of these devices can transiently affect driving ability and, therefore, require temporary driving restrictions. It is a responsibility of the healthcare professionals to inform their patients of these restrictions to improve the safety of the patient and general public.2,3...

This year’s 24th British Society for Heart Failure annual meeting successfully brought together experts in heart failure from all over the UK as well as keynote speaker and the Philip Poole-Wilson Memorial lecturer, Professor Milton Packer from the USA. This hybrid meeting, held in London in December 2021 at Queen Elizabeth II Exhibition Centre, welcomed a hugely diverse faculty including prominent figures in heart failure as well as key opinion leaders from the multidisciplinary heart failure team including nurses, cardiologists, pharmacists, elderly care physicians and patients living with heart failure. In contrast to many cardiovascular meetings, 44% of the British Society for Heart Failure (BSH) faculty were women. Dr Sarah Maria Birkhoelzer reports its highlights....

Reflecting the times, HEART UK held its 34th Annual Medical and Scientific Conference virtually this year with sessions taking place over a number of days in July. Covering the latest developments within the lipid community, this year’s conference had a particular focus on how to reduce uncertainty surrounding the diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), including taking a look at current NHS initiatives working to speed up FH identification. In addition, the importance of lipoprotein (a) was revisited, including early data on some promising therapeutics to target this molecule. Dr Andreas Tridimas reports the highlights from the virtual meeting....

Burden of coronary heart disease in Nepal: current status Dear Sirs, As a part of an epidemiological shift from communicable to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), Nepal is facing a major burden … Continue reading Correspondence: Burden of coronary heart disease in Nepal – current status →...

Heart valve disease: a guide for patients Author: John Chambers Publisher: NSHI, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-907882-30-2 Price: £8.99 Order via the BHVS website: https://www.bhvs.org.uk/book/ ...

We are delighted to announce a media partnership between the British Journal of Cardiology (BJC) and HaemSTAR, which is a UK-wide network of passionate UK Clinical Haematology registrars....

Female medical students’ perspective on barriers to pursuing a career in cardiology...

Evaluating the use of a mobile device for detection of atrial fibrillation in primary care...